Online Advertised Job Vacancies Take a Seasonal Dip In January, The Conference Board Reports

News Release For further information: Frank Tortorici (212) 339-0231 Gad Levanon (212) 339-0317 For Immediate Release June Shelp (212) 339-0369 Release #5111 Online Advertised Job Vacancies Take a Seasonal Dip In January, The Conference Board Reports Online ads in the second week of January rebounded to pre-holiday levels but not enough to completely offset seasonal declines during the holidays Job demand strongest in Management and Business/Finance occupations Jan. 31, 2007 In January there were 3,141,800 online advertised vacancies, a largely seasonal decline of 6 percent from December, according to The Conference Board Help- Wanted OnLine Data Series released today. Over the year, online advertised vacancies were up 12 percent for the nation as a whole. In January there were 2.1 advertised vacancies online for every 100 persons in the national labor force. January s job vacancy data points to a labor market that is definitely holding its own, said Gad Levanon, Economist at The Conference Board. Although this online series does not have sufficient history to seasonally adjust the monthly data, it is clear from the weekly data that the declines were all in the holiday weeks at the end of December and the beginning of January when hiring activity is very low. Like last year, the numbers rebounded to their pre-holiday levels by the second week of January. In addition, the number of online advertised vacancies grew significantly during the last 12 months and do not signal any weakness in the labor market. The Conference Board introduced its newly redesigned Help Wanted Online Data Series (HWOL) with the release of the October 2006 data. The HWOL program is now one of the earliest released economic indicators for the previous month. Geographic coverage has been expanded and now provides detailed monthly data on labor demand (vacancies) for the U.S., the 9 Census regions, the 50 States, and 52 of the largest metro areas. Information for Total Ads has been introduced along with the already existing New Ads data. Economic analysis in the release has been broadened to include both labor supply (unemployment) and labor demand (vacancies); in addition, the program has been expanded to include geographic occupational detail on labor demand along with occupational pay levels. Detailed information on this series is available in the technical notes to this series on The Conference Board web site www.conference-board.org/economics/helpwantedonline.cfm. The upcoming schedule of monthly releases is listed in this release as well as the technical notes on the web site. The underlying data for The Conference Board HWOL are provided by Wanted Technologies, Inc. Financial support for this series is provided by CareerBuilder.com. 1

The National Picture The 3,141,800 unduplicated online advertised vacancies in January include 1,987,800 new ads that did not appear in December, as well as reposted ads from the previous month. During January, total ads fell 6 percent and new ads were down 5 percent from the previous month. Over the year (January 06 January 07) total ads and new ads rose 12 percent and 15 percent, respectively. The January data is the sum of unduplicated ads that appeared during the mid-december to mid-january time period. While this series does not have a sufficiently long history to allow for seasonal adjustment, the monthly decrease of 202,800 in total ads is consistent with seasonal declines in other labor market indicators, and was widespread across the nation. Monthly percent change declines were greatest in the Pacific, Middle Atlantic, and Mountain regions. States with the largest declines included California (-57,600), New York (-14,600), New Jersey (-12,200), Illinois (-10,500), and Pennsylvania (-9,600). Major metropolitan areas contributing to these declines were Los Angeles (-25,000), New York (-17,800), San Francisco (-8,000), Chicago (-6,800), and Philadelphia (-6,200). The only five states to post an increase this month were Mississippi, Wyoming, Vermont, Maine, and Idaho. Each of these states inched up by less than 500 ads from last month. Over the year, the regions with the fastest year-over-year growth were the West South Central (+28%) and West North Central (+20%) regions. Across the nation, states with the largest over-the-year gains in advertised vacancies were Maine (+68%), Oklahoma (+50%), Idaho (+38%), and Vermont (+35%). Metropolitan areas with the fastest over-the-year growth were heavily concentrated in areas where labor markets were disrupted by the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes Oklahoma City (+93%), Houston (+58%), and Austin, TX (+51%). 2

STATE HIGHLIGHTS Alaska moves up the list and ranks third in the nation in terms of ads rates in January. Hawaii, Virginia, and Delaware are among the states where advertised job vacancies are greater than the number of unemployed workers. Online advertised vacancies in California, the state with the largest labor force in the nation, totaled 532,600 in January. The volume of online advertised vacancies in California was significantly above the next highest states, Texas (246,300), New York (235,200), Florida (221,500) and Illinois (150,200). Top 10 States by Most Ads Total Ads 1 (Thousands) Jan-07 California 532.6 Texas 246.3 New York 235.2 Florida 221.5 Illinois 150.2 Massachusetts 133.0 Pennsylvania 132.7 New Jersey 129.3 Virginia 129.0 Georgia 101.8 Source: The Conference Board - All rights reserved. 1. Total ads are all unduplicated ads appearing during the reference period. Massachusetts, with 133,000 advertised vacancies in January, posted 3.93 vacancies for every 100 persons in the state labor force, the highest rate of any state in the nation. Nevada (3.72) and Alaska (3.30) were close behind in the number of advertised vacancies when adjusted for the size of the state labor force. 3

Top 10 States by Highest Ads Rates Total Ads Rate 1 (Percent) Jan-07 Massachusetts 3.93 Nevada 3.72 Alaska 3.30 Connecticut 3.21 Rhode Island 3.21 Virginia 3.21 Oregon 3.16 Delaware 3.15 Maryland 3.12 Arizona 3.05 Source: The Conference Board - All rights reserved. 1. Ad rates represent the number of ads per 100 persons in the civilian labor force. Looking at the number of unemployed in relation to the number of advertised vacancies provides an indication of available job opportunities for the unemployed, said Mr. Levanon. Using the latest unemployment data available from the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and computing the supply/demand ratio (unemployed/advertised vacancies), the top states where there was less than one unemployed person looking for work for every ad included Hawaii (0.77), Virginia (0.80), Delaware (0.86), and Utah (0.88). States where the number of unemployed persons looking for work significantly exceeded the level of online advertised demand included Mississippi (6.45), Michigan (5.09), and Arkansas (3.75). Top 10 States by Lowest S/D Rates Supply/Demand Rate 1 Dec-06 Hawaii 0.77 Virginia 0.80 Delaware 0.86 Utah 0.88 Wyoming 1.06 Nevada 1.09 Connecticut 1.09 Maryland 1.15 Arizona 1.16 Rhode Island 1.18 Source: The Conference Board - All rights reserved. 1. Supply/Demand rate is Unemployed divided by total ads and reflects the latest unemployment data available. 4

OCCUPATIONAL FOCUS Over 277,000 ads posted for Business/Financial occupations this month. Management occupations, the highest paid in the nation, account for 11% of advertised vacancies online. In January, the occupations with the most advertised online vacancies nationally were Management (354,800) and Business and Financial Operations (277,900). Not only are these jobs in demand, but many of them are high paying jobs, said Mr. Levanon. U.S. Top Ten Demand Occupations and Pay Levels Total Ads (Thousands) Average Hr. Wage¹ Occupation Jan-07 Management 354.8 $42.52 Business and financial operations 277.9 $27.85 Office and administrative support 257.2 $14.28 Computer and mathematical 256.2 $32.26 Healthcare practitioners and technical 239.4 $28.45 Sales and related 166.0 $15.77 Architecture and engineering 156.2 $30.73 Production 56.5 $14.37 Installation, maintenance, and repair 49.1 $18.30 Transportation and material moving 48.5 $13.85 Source: The Conference Board - All rights reserved. 1. BLS Occupational Employment Statistics - May 2005 estimates. Construction In January there were 28,900 online advertised vacancies for construction jobs. Said Levanon: On the background of the worst year in the housing sector for over a decade, it is not surprising that construction is the occupation with the largest decline over the year. The number of construction ads is now about 10 percent below the number reported in January 2006. In terms of the sheer volume of construction ads, California (3,800), Texas (2,900), and Florida (2,100) were the top states. Metro areas with the largest online demand included New York (1,100), Los Angeles (1,100), and Washington, D.C. (900). 5

State and MSA Ranked by Most Ads for Construction Total Ads Average (Thousands) Hr. Wage¹ Total Ads Average (Thousands) Hr. Wage¹ State Jan-07 MSA Jan-07 California 3.8 $20.98 New York, NY 1.1 $25.53 Texas 2.9 $13.99 Los Angeles, CA 1.1 $20.27 Florida 2.1 $15.27 Washington, DC 0.9 $19.15 Virginia 1.2 $16.78 Houston, TX 0.8 $14.59 New York 1.2 $23.33 Dallas, TX 0.7 $14.38 Washington 1.1 $21.72 Seattle-Tacoma, WA 0.6 $22.67 Colorado 1.0 $18.12 Phoenix, AZ 0.6 $15.85 Maryland 1.0 $18.23 San Francisco, CA 0.6 $25.29 Utah 0.9 $15.65 Portland, OR 0.5 $21.11 New Jersey 0.8 $23.96 San Diego, CA 0.5 $20.79 Source: The Conference Board - All rights reserved. 1. BLS Occupational Employment Statistics - May 2005 estimates. NEW YORK, LOS ANGELES STILL IN THE LEAD San Jose boasts nearly 6 ads per 100 in the labor force this month. For the second consecutive month, there are two ads for every job seeker in Washington, D.C. The top 10 metro areas where the number of unemployed persons looking for work was less than the number of advertised vacancies includes a wide range of areas across the nation Washington, DC, Salt Lake City, San Jose, San Francisco, Austin, San Diego, Richmond, Phoenix, Hartford, and Boston. MSA Ranked by Most Ads, Highest Rates and Lowest S/D Rates Total Ads (Thousands) Total Ads Rate (Percent) Supply/Demand Rate Jan-07 Jan-07 Dec-06 New York, NY 241.7 San Jose, CA 5.61 Washington, DC 0.59 Los Angeles, CA 194.9 San Francisco, CA 5.05 Salt Lake City, UT 0.62 Washington, DC 142.6 Washington, DC 4.79 San Jose, CA 0.68 Chicago, IL 122.6 Boston, MA 4.36 San Francisco, CA 0.70 San Francisco, CA 112.1 Austin, TX 4.21 Austin, TX 0.74 Boston, MA 107.5 Milwaukee, WI 3.92 San Diego, CA 0.88 Dallas, TX 82.0 Hartford, CT 3.88 Richmond, VA 0.91 Miami, FL 78.9 San Diego, CA 3.87 Phoenix, AZ 0.93 Philadelphia, PA 78.5 Las Vegas, NV 3.80 Hartford, CT 0.97 Atlanta, GA 76.8 New Orleans, LA 3.73 Boston, MA 1.00 Source: The Conference Board - All rights reserved. Supply/Demand rate is Unemployed divided by total ads and reflects the latest unemployment data available. 6

Two of the nation s largest metropolitan areas, New York and Los Angeles, were first and second in the absolute volume of advertised job vacancies in January, with 241,700 and 194,900, respectively. The top two metro areas in terms of advertised vacancies per 100 persons in the local labor force were San Jose (5.61) and San Francisco (5.05), followed by Washington, DC (4.79), and Boston (4.36). Note: The Help Wanted Online Data Series is a new developmental program with research and evaluation studies ongoing in a number of areas. The comparisons in the attached tables between total ads and total unemployed at the various geographic levels are overall counts and it cannot be inferred that the detailed occupation or geographic location of the unemployed matches the occupation or geographic location of the vacancy. Additionally, there may be differences in the way the unemployed person describes his occupation versus the way an employer may describe the same job. The Conference Board welcomes interested user feedback on this important new data set but also urges users to exercise caution in the analysis and interpretation of the data. Publication Schedule, Help Wanted Online Data Series Data for the Month Release Date Data for the Month Release Date Feb-07 March 5, 2007 Jul-07 July 30, 2007 Mar-07 April 2, 2007 Aug-07 September 5, 2007** Apr-07 April 30, 2007 Sep-07 October 1, 2007 May-07 May 30, 2007** Oct-07 October 31, 2007** Jun-07 July 2, 2007 Nov-07 December 3, 2007 **Wednesday release due to holidays or data availability. 7

PROGRAM NOTES THE NEW ONLINE JOB SERIES The Conference Board Help-Wanted Online Data Series measures the number of new, firsttime online jobs and jobs reposted from the previous month on more than 1,200 major Internet job boards and smaller job boards that serve niche markets and smaller geographic areas. Like The Conference Board s long running Help-Wanted Advertising Index of print ads (which has been published since 1951), the new online series is not a direct measure of job vacancies. The level of ads in both print and online may change for reasons not related to overall job demand. The Conference Board, as a standard practice with new data series, considers the estimates in The Conference Board Help-Wanted OnLine Data Series to be developmental. As a not-forprofit business research organization, The Conference Board is publishing the early years of this series for use by the media, analysts, researchers and the business community. Persons using this data are urged to review the information on the database and methodology available on our website and contact the economists listed at the top of this release with questions and comments. Background information and technical notes on this new series are available at: http://www.conference-board.org/economics/helpwantedonline.cfm. The underlying data for this series is provided by Wanted Technologies, Inc. CareerBuilder.com provides financial support for the series. Additional information on the Bureau of Labor Statistics data used in this release can be found on the BLS website, www.bls.gov. THE CONFERENCE BOARD Non-partisan and not-for-profit, The Conference Board is the world s leading business membership and research organization. The Conference Board produces The Consumer Confidence Index and the Leading Economic Indicators for the U.S. and other major nations. These barometers can have a major impact on the financial markets. The Conference Board also produces a wide range of authoritative reports on corporate governance and ethics, human resources and diversity, executive compensation and corporate citizenship. Our conference and council programs bring together more than 10,000 senior executives each year to share insights and learn from each other. Visit The Conference Board s award-winning website at www.conferenceboard.org. CareerBuilder.com CareerBuilder.com is the nation s largest online job site with more than 20 million unique visitors and over 1 million jobs. The company offers a vast online and print network to help job seekers connect with employers. CareerBuilder.com powers the career centers for more than 550 partners that include 165 newspapers and leading portals such as MSN and America Online. For more information about CareerBuilder.com products and services, visit http://www.careerbuilder.com. WANTED Technologies Inc. Founded in 1997, WANTED Technologies Inc. is a leading provider of real-time sales and business intelligence. Through its proprietary data mining and aggregation technology, WANTED delivers concise, accurate and actionable data, aimed at helping to increase sales and profitability for its clientele throughout North America. WANTED was recently bestowed the Model of Excellence Award by the InfoCommerce Group in recognition of online business innovation. For more information, visit www.wantedtech.com. 8

Table 1: National/Regional Total Ads and New Ads (Levels), Not Seasonally Adjusted Total Ads 1 Percent New Ads 2 Percent (Thousands) Change (Thousands) Change OTY OTY Location 3 Jan-06 Dec-06 Jan-07 Jan 06-07 Jan-06 Dec-06 Jan-07 Jan 06-07 United States 2,814.9 3,344.6 3,141.8 11.6% 1,732.8 2,101.4 1,987.8 14.7% New England 225.4 244.7 232.1 3.0% 126.2 139.8 132.5 5.0% Middle Atlantic 426.1 512.7 476.4 11.8% 243.0 302.8 284.7 17.2% South Atlantic 608.5 709.3 685.8 12.7% 361.8 430.3 415.1 14.7% East North Central 350.5 420.2 392.5 12.0% 198.3 247.2 232.0 17.0% East South Central 103.6 117.0 109.9 6.1% 63.4 71.4 68.8 8.4% West North Central 166.7 210.6 199.8 19.9% 98.2 126.4 123.3 25.6% West South Central 242.2 323.4 311.1 28.4% 152.3 207.0 199.1 30.8% Mountain 256.8 306.2 285.5 11.2% 167.6 210.0 195.3 16.5% Pacific 614.9 752.0 688.8 12.0% 401.0 485.2 451.9 12.7% Source: The Conference Board 1. Total ads are all unduplicated ads appearing during the reference period. This figure includes ads from the previous month that have been reposted as well as new ads. Total ads appear only once per defined geographic area. 2. New ads are all unduplicated ads which did not appear during the previous reference period. An online help wanted ad is counted as "New" only in the month it first appears and only once per defined geographic area. 3. Regions are as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. Table 2: National/Regional Total Ads and New Ads (Rates), Not Seasonally Adjusted Total Ads Rate 1 New Ads Rate 1 (Percent) (Percent) Location 2 Jan-06 Dec-06 Jan-07 Jan-06 Dec-06 Jan-07 United States 1.89 2.19 2.06 1.16 1.38 1.30 New England 3.00 3.20 3.03 1.68 1.83 1.73 Middle Atlantic 2.12 2.53 2.35 1.21 1.49 1.41 South Atlantic 2.16 2.43 2.35 1.28 1.47 1.42 East North Central 1.48 1.74 1.63 0.84 1.02 0.96 East South Central 1.24 1.35 1.27 0.76 0.82 0.79 West North Central 1.55 1.92 1.82 0.91 1.15 1.12 West South Central 1.49 1.95 1.87 0.94 1.25 1.20 Mountain 2.47 2.84 2.64 1.61 1.95 1.81 Pacific 2.58 3.11 2.85 1.68 2.01 1.87 Source: The Conference Board 1. Ad rates are calculated as a percent of the most currently available BLS civilian labor force data. Ad rates represent the number of ads per 100 participants in the civilian labor force. 2. Regions are as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. 2007 The Conference Board. All rights reserved. 9

Table 3: State Total Ads and New Ads (Levels), Not Seasonally Adjusted Total Ads 1 Percent New Ads 2 Percent (Thousands) Change (Thousands) Change OTY OTY Location Jan-06 Dec-06 Jan-07 Jan 06-07 Jan-06 Dec-06 Jan-07 Jan 06-07 United States 2,814.9 3,344.6 3,141.8 11.6% 1,732.8 2,101.4 1,987.8 14.7% Alabama 32.1 33.1 31.2-2.8% 19.4 18.4 17.6-9.4% Alaska 9.9 11.6 11.4 15.3% 6.1 7.4 7.1 16.8% Arizona 79.7 99.0 91.6 14.9% 50.9 65.1 59.6 17.2% Arkansas 13.7 18.2 17.6 29.0% 8.5 11.3 11.2 32.2% California 465.3 590.2 532.6 14.4% 306.4 378.5 349.1 14.0% Colorado 72.0 86.3 78.9 9.5% 49.7 58.9 54.1 8.8% Connecticut 54.5 63.1 59.5 9.2% 28.4 34.8 32.3 13.7% Delaware 12.3 15.7 14.2 15.7% 6.3 8.4 8.0 27.2% Florida 203.8 229.2 221.5 8.7% 128.6 144.1 139.4 8.3% Georgia 87.1 108.2 101.8 16.9% 50.1 66.9 63.6 27.0% Hawaii 11.5 13.6 13.4 16.3% 7.2 9.1 8.7 20.5% Idaho 12.2 16.4 16.8 38.1% 8.0 11.0 11.6 45.1% Illinois 128.4 160.7 150.2 16.9% 74.3 96.9 90.9 22.4% Indiana 34.7 43.8 40.0 15.2% 20.7 26.7 24.2 17.0% Iowa 24.6 27.3 26.7 8.2% 14.7 16.0 16.3 10.8% Kansas 22.2 29.7 27.5 23.4% 12.9 16.3 15.2 18.6% Kentucky 23.7 30.3 27.2 15.0% 14.3 17.9 16.3 13.9% Louisiana 28.3 36.6 34.9 23.4% 16.8 21.0 20.3 20.9% Maine 9.5 15.5 15.9 67.8% 5.2 8.6 9.2 78.5% Maryland 76.6 94.6 94.6 23.5% 40.3 51.7 49.9 23.8% Massachusetts 134.6 137.0 133.0-1.2% 73.7 74.7 73.2-0.6% Michigan 56.5 69.0 63.1 11.7% 32.3 40.5 37.5 16.1% Minnesota 56.3 77.8 73.7 30.8% 32.2 44.6 44.6 38.6% Mississippi 12.9 14.5 14.6 13.3% 7.5 8.7 8.9 19.4% Missouri 44.1 55.0 52.7 19.4% 23.1 31.9 31.1 34.5% Montana 15.3 11.7 11.6-24.2% 7.9 7.7 7.6-4.0% Nebraska 17.7 23.3 22.5 26.9% 11.1 14.9 14.8 33.8% Nevada 41.8 51.3 49.3 17.9% 24.2 32.8 31.2 29.0% New Hampshire 13.4 18.2 17.4 30.0% 6.5 10.0 9.8 50.1% New Jersey 120.5 141.5 129.3 7.4% 68.0 81.2 74.8 10.0% New Mexico 18.5 25.4 23.6 28.1% 11.3 16.6 15.3 35.9% New York 200.1 249.8 235.2 17.6% 115.0 146.9 139.9 21.6% North Carolina 69.8 81.5 78.7 12.7% 37.4 47.6 46.9 25.3% North Dakota 7.7 8.5 7.7-0.2% 4.4 5.3 4.8 8.9% Ohio 85.5 101.9 95.3 11.4% 47.4 57.0 53.8 13.7% Oklahoma 17.8 28.2 26.7 50.2% 10.2 16.3 15.5 51.9% Oregon 51.3 61.4 59.9 16.7% 32.4 43.1 42.1 29.9% Pennsylvania 120.3 142.3 132.7 10.3% 66.3 84.5 80.1 20.8% Rhode Island 20.6 22.8 18.6-9.6% 14.2 14.8 11.8-16.9% South Carolina 34.0 41.7 40.5 19.2% 20.3 24.5 24.5 21.1% South Dakota 8.2 10.4 10.3 25.7% 5.4 6.5 6.2 13.5% Tennessee 42.8 49.7 47.7 11.4% 25.3 30.9 30.8 21.8% Texas 191.6 254.7 246.3 28.5% 120.4 164.7 158.9 32.0% Utah 27.5 34.2 32.0 16.2% 18.8 24.4 23.4 24.3% Vermont 6.1 8.1 8.3 35.2% 3.2 4.2 4.4 38.6% Virginia 116.2 135.8 129.0 11.0% 63.2 75.8 70.9 12.1% Washington 91.9 95.9 92.9 1.1% 55.2 57.0 55.4 0.5% West Virginia 9.3 11.9 11.6 24.3% 5.4 6.5 6.3 16.6% Wisconsin 67.6 75.5 73.6 8.8% 32.9 39.8 39.3 19.5% Wyoming 7.4 8.6 8.7 18.0% 3.7 4.2 4.5 23.5% Source: The Conference Board 1. Total ads are all unduplicated ads appearing during the reference period. This figure includes ads from the previous month that have been reposted as well as new ads. Total ads appear only once per defined geographic area. 2. New ads are all unduplicated ads which did not appear during the previous reference period. An online help wanted ad is counted as "New" only in the month it first appears and only once per defined geographic area. 2007 The Conference Board. All rights reserved. 10

Table 4: MSA Total Ads and New Ads (Levels), Not Seasonally Adjusted Total Ads 1 Percent New Ads 2 (Thousands) Change (Thousands) Percent Change Location 3 Jan-06 Dec-06 Jan-07 Jan 06-07 Jan-06 Dec-06 Jan-07 Jan 06-07 Birmingham, AL 11.6 11.7 10.6-8.9% 7.0 6.4 5.7-18.0% Phoenix, AZ 57.8 72.6 67.1 16.1% 37.5 48.1 44.2 17.9% Tucson, AZ 11.5 13.0 11.7 1.9% 7.1 8.1 7.4 5.2% Los Angeles, CA 168.2 219.9 194.9 15.9% 110.8 142.2 131.3 18.6% Riverside, CA 22.8 27.8 25.3 10.7% 14.5 18.0 16.8 16.1% Sacramento, CA 29.7 37.5 35.6 19.7% 21.1 26.3 25.4 20.8% San Diego, CA 57.8 64.7 59.1 2.2% 38.7 39.6 36.1-6.7% San Francisco, CA 89.3 120.1 112.1 25.6% 57.6 73.1 70.1 21.7% San Jose, CA 35.8 53.2 48.1 34.4% 20.7 28.2 25.6 23.7% Denver, CO 47.4 53.9 48.3 2.0% 33.4 37.3 33.5 0.2% Hartford, CT 19.7 23.4 22.7 15.3% 10.0 13.2 12.8 28.6% Washington, DC 127.1 146.2 142.6 12.2% 70.0 77.8 73.6 5.3% Jacksonville, FL 14.7 18.3 18.0 22.4% 8.1 10.8 10.5 28.8% Miami, FL 68.6 80.5 78.9 14.9% 47.5 52.7 51.5 8.5% Orlando, FL 24.8 27.4 26.3 6.2% 13.4 17.1 16.2 20.9% Tampa, FL 40.0 40.0 38.3-4.2% 24.5 22.2 21.5-12.3% Atlanta, GA 64.2 81.6 76.8 19.6% 36.0 49.4 47.0 30.6% Honolulu, HI 8.1 6.6 6.6-19.3% 5.4 4.4 4.2-23.0% Chicago, IL 99.5 129.4 122.6 23.2% 56.1 77.7 73.9 31.7% Indianapolis, IN 14.9 19.7 18.1 21.4% 8.5 11.8 10.8 26.3% Louisville, KY 10.4 15.2 13.3 27.2% 6.3 8.5 7.6 20.6% New Orleans, LA 14.3 16.9 16.1 13.0% 8.0 8.7 8.5 7.5% Baltimore, MD 38.2 47.4 45.6 19.2% 19.8 27.8 25.7 29.8% Boston, MA 109.1 110.1 107.5-1.4% 59.9 58.8 57.7-3.7% Detroit, MI 23.4 30.4 28.0 19.3% 13.2 17.7 16.5 25.1% Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN 40.9 60.2 56.1 37.1% 22.4 34.3 33.7 50.7% Kansas City, MO 18.8 26.5 24.6 30.8% 10.5 15.1 14.4 37.3% St. Louis, MO 25.4 30.2 28.9 13.9% 12.4 16.6 16.1 29.8% Las Vegas, NV 30.9 36.4 35.9 16.4% 17.4 22.4 22.1 27.1% Buffalo, NY 8.9 11.9 11.3 27.3% 5.7 7.4 7.0 24.0% New York, NY 204.1 259.5 241.7 18.4% 114.3 149.3 139.1 21.7% Rochester, NY 6.6 8.7 8.3 25.6% 3.8 5.2 4.9 29.1% Charlotte, NC 21.1 24.9 23.4 11.0% 11.6 14.4 13.6 17.6% Cincinnati, OH 20.0 24.4 22.6 13.1% 10.9 13.5 13.0 19.6% Cleveland, OH 21.8 28.4 27.6 26.5% 11.5 15.3 14.7 28.0% Columbus, OH 17.7 24.7 22.7 28.4% 9.1 13.7 12.7 40.2% Oklahoma City, OK 6.2 12.7 11.9 92.9% 3.5 7.4 7.1 104.7% Portland, OR 31.2 43.5 41.4 32.5% 21.0 31.1 29.6 40.8% Philadelphia, PA 72.4 84.7 78.5 8.4% 38.3 48.8 45.6 18.9% Pittsburgh, PA 20.4 28.1 26.0 27.3% 11.1 16.6 15.7 42.1% Providence, RI 18.4 17.9 16.7-9.6% 12.1 10.7 10.0-17.4% Memphis, TN 10.8 12.9 12.9 19.2% 5.6 7.5 7.8 38.5% Nashville, TN 13.8 17.0 15.8 14.3% 8.0 10.3 9.8 22.9% Austin, TX 23.5 36.1 35.4 50.5% 15.0 25.6 25.5 69.2% Dallas, TX 70.5 87.0 82.0 16.3% 42.1 53.8 50.9 21.0% Houston, TX 42.6 69.5 67.4 58.4% 26.5 43.5 40.2 51.7% San Antonio, TX 14.2 20.8 20.5 43.9% 9.0 13.4 13.4 49.5% Salt Lake City, UT 16.4 21.3 19.7 20.3% 11.5 15.7 14.7 28.0% Richmond, VA 16.4 19.4 19.2 16.9% 9.0 11.5 12.0 33.5% Virginia Beach, VA 13.8 20.4 17.7 29.0% 7.9 13.9 11.2 42.4% Seattle-Tacoma, WA 70.7 65.1 62.5-11.6% 42.8 36.6 35.7-16.5% Milwaukee, WI 27.7 33.2 31.4 13.1% 11.5 15.6 14.8 29.0% Source: The Conference Board 1. Total ads are all unduplicated ads appearing during the reference period. This figure includes ads from the previous month that have been reposted as well as new ads. Total ads appear only once per defined geographic area. 2. New ads are all unduplicated ads which did not appear during the previous reference period. An online help wanted ad is counted as "New" only in the month it first appears and only once per defined geographic area. 3. Metropolitan areas use the 2005 OMB county-based MSA definitions. 2007 The Conference Board. All rights reserved. 11

Table 5: State Labor Supply/Labor Demand Indicators Total Ads Rate 1 Unemployment Unemployed Total Ads Supply/ (Percent) Rate 2 (Thousands) (Thousands) Demand Rate 3 Location Jan-06 Dec-06 Jan-07 Dec-06 Dec-06 Dec-06 Dec-06 United States 1.89 2.19 2.06 4.3 6,491.0 3,344.6 1.94 Alabama 1.49 1.48 1.39 3.3 73.6 33.1 2.22 Alaska 2.94 3.34 3.30 6.8 23.7 11.6 2.05 Arizona 2.77 3.30 3.05 3.8 114.6 99.0 1.16 Arkansas 1.00 1.32 1.28 4.9 68.1 18.2 3.75 California 2.64 3.30 2.97 4.6 817.7 590.2 1.39 Colorado 2.83 3.26 2.99 3.9 102.0 86.3 1.18 Connecticut 3.02 3.40 3.21 3.7 68.7 63.1 1.09 Delaware 2.77 3.49 3.15 3.0 13.5 15.7 0.86 Florida 2.34 2.51 2.42 3.0 275.1 229.2 1.20 Georgia 1.88 2.26 2.12 4.3 208.0 108.2 1.92 Hawaii 1.78 2.06 2.02 1.6 10.5 13.6 0.77 Idaho 1.64 2.16 2.22 3.2 24.3 16.4 1.48 Illinois 1.99 2.41 2.25 3.9 260.5 160.7 1.62 Indiana 1.08 1.34 1.23 4.7 152.2 43.8 3.48 Iowa 1.49 1.61 1.57 3.7 62.1 27.3 2.28 Kansas 1.52 2.01 1.86 4.1 60.3 29.7 2.03 Kentucky 1.19 1.47 1.32 4.9 101.3 30.3 3.34 Louisiana 1.52 1.97 1.88 3.8 70.2 36.6 1.92 Maine 1.34 2.15 2.20 4.6 33.1 15.5 2.14 Maryland 2.60 3.12 3.12 3.6 109.1 94.6 1.15 Massachusetts 4.03 4.04 3.93 4.9 165.9 137.0 1.21 Michigan 1.12 1.35 1.23 6.9 351.3 69.0 5.09 Minnesota 1.93 2.62 2.48 4.2 124.6 77.8 1.60 Mississippi 0.98 1.08 1.10 7.0 93.3 14.5 6.45 Missouri 1.47 1.79 1.72 4.6 139.7 55.0 2.54 Montana 3.13 2.34 2.33 2.9 14.7 11.7 1.26 Nebraska 1.82 2.37 2.29 2.9 28.1 23.3 1.20 Nevada 3.40 3.88 3.72 4.2 56.0 51.3 1.09 New Hampshire 1.83 2.46 2.35 3.3 24.4 18.2 1.34 New Jersey 2.71 3.14 2.87 3.9 173.9 141.5 1.23 New Mexico 1.98 2.67 2.49 3.3 31.6 25.4 1.25 New York 2.12 2.65 2.50 3.8 359.2 249.8 1.44 North Carolina 1.61 1.82 1.75 4.7 210.3 81.5 2.58 North Dakota 2.18 2.33 2.12 3.2 11.4 8.5 1.35 Ohio 1.46 1.71 1.60 5.4 321.9 101.9 3.16 Oklahoma 1.02 1.60 1.52 3.7 65.8 28.2 2.33 Oregon 2.77 3.24 3.16 5.2 97.7 61.4 1.59 Pennsylvania 1.93 2.24 2.09 4.1 262.4 142.3 1.84 Rhode Island 3.59 3.93 3.21 4.6 26.9 22.8 1.18 South Carolina 1.64 1.95 1.89 6.4 136.3 41.7 3.27 South Dakota 1.95 2.40 2.37 3.2 14.0 10.4 1.34 Tennessee 1.48 1.63 1.57 4.4 133.2 49.7 2.68 Texas 1.70 2.19 2.12 4.1 475.3 254.7 1.87 Utah 2.16 2.57 2.41 2.3 29.9 34.2 0.88 Vermont 1.72 2.20 2.26 3.6 13.1 8.1 1.62 Virginia 2.95 3.38 3.21 2.7 108.1 135.8 0.80 Washington 2.78 2.85 2.77 5.0 167.6 95.9 1.75 West Virginia 1.17 1.46 1.42 4.6 37.7 11.9 3.16 Wisconsin 2.23 2.43 2.37 4.5 140.8 75.5 1.87 Wyoming 2.61 2.97 3.01 3.1 9.1 8.6 1.06 Source: The Conference Board 1. Total ads rate is calculated as a percent of the most currently available BLS civilian labor force data. Ad rates represent the number of ads per 100 persons in the civilian labor force. 2. Unemployment data are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Population Statistics and Local Area Unemployment Statistics programs. 3. Supply/Demand rate is Unemployed divided by the number of total ads for the designated month. 2007 The Conference Board. All rights reserved. 12

Table 6: MSA Labor Supply /Labor Demand Indicators Total Ads Rate 1 Unemployment Unemployed Total Ads Supply/ (Percent) Rate 2 (Thousands) (Thousands) Demand Rate 3 Location 4 Jan-06 Dec-06 Jan-07 Dec-06 Dec-06 Dec-06 Dec-06 Birmingham, AL 2.18 2.10 1.90 2.9 15.9 11.7 1.36 Phoenix, AZ 2.96 3.57 3.30 3.3 67.4 72.6 0.93 Tucson, AZ 2.62 2.81 2.54 3.7 17.2 13.0 1.33 Los Angeles, CA 2.61 3.39 3.01 3.9 253.9 219.9 1.15 Riverside, CA 1.32 1.57 1.43 4.4 78.4 27.8 2.82 Sacramento, CA 2.88 3.58 3.40 4.3 45.5 37.5 1.21 San Diego, CA 3.83 4.24 3.87 3.7 56.8 64.7 0.88 San Francisco, CA 4.10 5.41 5.05 3.8 83.7 120.1 0.70 San Jose, CA 4.25 6.21 5.61 4.2 36.4 53.2 0.68 Denver, CO 3.62 3.99 3.58 4.0 54.0 53.9 1.00 Hartford, CT 3.48 4.00 3.88 3.9 22.6 23.4 0.97 Washington, DC 4.39 4.92 4.79 2.9 85.6 146.2 0.59 Jacksonville, FL 2.35 2.79 2.75 3.1 20.6 18.3 1.13 Miami, FL 2.54 2.84 2.78 3.1 88.1 80.5 1.09 Orlando, FL 2.43 2.55 2.45 2.9 30.7 27.4 1.12 Tampa, FL 3.08 2.96 2.83 3.0 40.6 40.0 1.01 Atlanta, GA 2.47 3.02 2.84 4.2 113.3 81.6 1.39 Honolulu, HI 1.80 1.42 1.41 1.6 7.2 6.6 1.09 Chicago, IL 2.10 2.64 2.50 3.9 191.4 129.4 1.48 Indianapolis, IN 1.70 2.21 2.03 4.1 36.4 19.7 1.84 Louisville, KY 1.71 2.42 2.11 4.7 29.5 15.2 1.94 New Orleans, LA 3.34 3.91 3.73 4.4 19.0 16.9 1.12 Baltimore, MD 2.78 3.35 3.22 3.8 53.3 47.4 1.12 Boston, MA 4.48 4.47 4.36 4.4 109.6 110.1 1.00 Detroit, MI 1.09 1.39 1.28 7.2 157.3 30.4 5.17 Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN 2.23 3.22 3.00 3.8 71.6 60.2 1.19 Kansas City, MO 1.84 2.54 2.36 4.7 48.6 26.5 1.83 St. Louis, MO 1.75 2.04 1.96 4.6 67.2 30.2 2.23 Las Vegas, NV 3.52 3.85 3.80 4.2 39.7 36.4 1.09 Buffalo, NY 1.52 2.04 1.95 4.5 26.3 11.9 2.21 New York, NY 2.22 2.82 2.63 3.7 341.5 259.5 1.32 Rochester, NY 1.26 1.65 1.58 3.9 20.7 8.7 2.38 Charlotte, NC 2.63 3.01 2.83 4.6 37.9 24.9 1.53 Cincinnati, OH 1.83 2.16 2.00 4.8 54.0 24.4 2.21 Cleveland, OH 2.03 2.60 2.53 5.3 57.5 28.4 2.02 Columbus, OH 1.93 2.61 2.40 4.5 42.4 24.7 1.72 Oklahoma City, OK 1.06 2.14 2.01 3.6 21.2 12.7 1.67 Portland, OR 2.83 3.85 3.66 4.7 53.0 43.5 1.22 Philadelphia, PA 2.47 2.83 2.62 3.9 117.6 84.7 1.39 Pittsburgh, PA 1.71 2.32 2.14 4.2 51.4 28.1 1.83 Providence, RI 2.60 2.51 2.33 5.0 35.9 17.9 2.00 Memphis, TN 1.82 2.07 2.07 5.1 32.1 12.9 2.49 Nashville, TN 1.86 2.14 1.99 3.5 27.5 17.0 1.61 Austin, TX 2.89 4.29 4.21 3.2 26.9 36.1 0.74 Dallas, TX 2.31 2.76 2.61 4.0 124.9 87.0 1.44 Houston, TX 1.60 2.53 2.46 4.0 109.9 69.5 1.58 San Antonio, TX 1.58 2.24 2.20 3.7 34.8 20.8 1.67 Salt Lake City, UT 2.90 3.66 3.38 2.3 13.2 21.3 0.62 Richmond, VA 2.63 3.08 3.05 2.8 17.6 19.4 0.91 Virginia Beach, VA 1.74 2.49 2.17 3.1 25.2 20.4 1.24 Seattle-Tacoma, WA 4.03 3.62 3.48 4.3 77.8 65.1 1.19 Milwaukee, WI 3.58 4.15 3.92 4.6 36.7 33.2 1.11 Source: The Conference Board 1. Total ads rate is calculated as a percent of the most currently available Bureau of Labor Statistics civilian labor force data. 2. Unemployment data are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics CPS and LAUS programs. 3. Supply/Demand rate is Unemployed divided by the number of total ads for the designated month. 4. The Conference Board uses the OMB county-based MSA definitions for its data whereas the Bureau of Labor Statistics uses the OMB alternative NECTA (New England City and Town Areas) MSA definition. This will result in small comparison differences for some metropolitan areas in New England states. 2007 The Conference Board. All rights reserved. 13

Unemployed 3 Total Ads Table 7: National Labor Supply/Labor Demand by Occupation 2 (Thousands) (Thousands) Average Occupation 1 Jan-06 Dec-06 Jan-07 Dec-06 Hr. Wage 4 Total 2,814.9 3,344.6 3,141.8 6,491 $18.21 Management 193.3 383.9 354.8 243 $42.52 Business and financial operations 231.2 296.3 277.9 114 $27.85 Computer and mathematical 221.1 273.7 256.2 81 $32.26 Architecture and engineering 152.6 164.7 156.2 50 $30.73 Life, physical, and social science 24.8 28.2 28.9 22 $27.90 Community and social services 13.5 18.1 17.7 35 $18.04 Legal 10.8 13.8 13.9 19 $38.98 Education, training, and library 16.7 24.2 22.0 142 $20.89 Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media 20.7 27.1 27.4 100 $21.30 Healthcare practitioner and technical 251.4 272.6 239.4 112 $28.45 Healthcare support 30.9 35.7 37.1 146 $11.47 Protective service 12.0 17.2 16.7 115 $17.19 Food preparation and serving related 31.5 41.6 37.9 467 $8.58 Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance 18.8 21.8 21.5 440 $10.55 Personal care and service 18.7 21.2 21.6 178 $10.67 Sales and related 132.9 168.9 166.0 727 $15.77 Office and administrative support 228.7 264.9 257.2 775 $14.28 Farming, fishing, and forestry 1.4 1.4 1.5 137 $10.10 Construction and extraction 32.1 32.1 28.9 736 $18.39 Installation, maintenance, and repair 44.3 51.8 49.1 202 $18.30 Production 55.6 61.9 56.5 580 $14.37 Transportation and material moving 49.9 50.9 48.5 569 $13.85 Source: The Conference Board 1. Occupational categories use the 2000 OMB Standard Occupational Classification system (SOC definitions). 2. Occupational coding of ads is being improved on a continuous basis. Approximately 2/3 of all ads for the most recent month have been assigned SOC occupational codes. Coding improvements have an impact on measures of change from one time period to another and The Conference Board cautions against using occupational change measures from the HWOL program until the improvement process is substantially completed. 3. Unemployment data are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Population Statistics program. 4. Wage data are from the BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) program's May 2005 estimates. 2007 The Conference Board. All rights reserved. 14

Table 8: State Occupational Demand and Pay Management and Business/Financial 1 Professional & Related Service Total Ads Total Ads Total Ads Average Average Average Location Jan-07 Hr. Wage 2 Jan-07 Hr. Wage 2 Jan-07 Hr. Wage 2 United States 632737.0 $35.54 761676.0 $25.93 134848.0 $10.65 Alabama 5,290.0 $32.17 7,977.0 $22.57 1,029.0 $8.82 Alaska 1,489.0 $32.03 3,799.0 $25.91 806.0 $12.98 Arizona 15,679.0 $31.85 23,115.0 $23.81 4,456.0 $10.39 Arkansas 2,991.0 $28.36 3,997.0 $20.45 633.0 $8.48 California 107169.0 $39.53 127695.0 $32.27 21,245.0 $11.92 Colorado 14,128.0 $35.80 19,045.0 $27.01 4,148.0 $11.08 Connecticut 15,267.0 $40.73 15,926.0 $28.59 1,747.0 $12.73 Delaware 2,903.0 $35.21 3,815.0 $27.66 413.0 $10.92 Florida 39,496.0 $33.47 47,813.0 $24.63 11,277.0 $10.36 Georgia 22,401.0 $36.06 25,012.0 $24.42 3,617.0 $9.66 Hawaii 2,298.0 $33.12 2,915.0 $25.02 848.0 $11.86 Idaho 2,564.0 $27.32 3,654.0 $25.03 930.0 $9.39 Illinois 35,423.0 $34.96 35,017.0 $25.60 4,299.0 $11.34 Indiana 8,371.0 $31.45 10,045.0 $22.32 1,535.0 $9.68 Iowa 5,912.0 $29.29 6,695.0 $21.47 1,401.0 $9.46 Kansas 5,760.0 $31.67 8,090.0 $22.12 1,175.0 $9.45 Kentucky 5,492.0 $30.73 6,958.0 $21.65 1,073.0 $9.28 Louisiana 5,903.0 $29.45 7,362.0 $21.61 1,911.0 $8.70 Maine 2,312.0 $29.74 4,148.0 $22.21 995.0 $10.17 Maryland 20,922.0 $37.06 29,037.0 $29.02 3,983.0 $11.19 Massachusetts 29,204.0 $40.93 38,492.0 $29.42 5,472.0 $12.62 Michigan 12,698.0 $36.21 17,114.0 $27.33 2,040.0 $10.84 Minnesota 15,727.0 $35.38 18,649.0 $26.22 2,722.0 $10.86 Mississippi 2,708.0 $27.94 3,683.0 $20.16 900.0 $8.53 Missouri 10,406.0 $32.66 13,685.0 $23.18 2,084.0 $9.77 Montana 1,342.0 $25.64 2,819.0 $19.30 954.0 $9.03 Nebraska 5,035.0 $30.41 5,685.0 $22.57 971.0 $9.51 Nevada 8,607.0 $34.92 8,960.0 $25.75 3,189.0 $10.84 New Hampshire 2,579.0 $34.83 5,777.0 $24.78 491.0 $10.97 New Jersey 31,372.0 $41.54 33,782.0 $32.30 4,767.0 $12.61 New Mexico 4,040.0 $30.32 5,736.0 $23.83 922.0 $9.17 New York 55,969.0 $42.13 51,827.0 $29.83 7,217.0 $12.55 North Carolina 15,212.0 $34.72 21,091.0 $23.24 2,227.0 $9.61 North Dakota 1,045.0 $28.65 1,775.0 $19.71 658.0 $9.17 Ohio 21,284.0 $33.51 26,761.0 $25.44 2,642.0 $10.08 Oklahoma 4,769.0 $28.53 6,642.0 $23.13 1,487.0 $8.89 Oregon 10,748.0 $32.09 13,305.0 $24.74 3,081.0 $11.14 Pennsylvania 34,502.0 $33.23 31,619.0 $25.82 4,433.0 $10.30 Rhode Island 4,106.0 $36.28 5,057.0 $26.33 731.0 $11.59 South Carolina 7,120.0 $30.84 10,413.0 $22.53 2,036.0 $9.12 South Dakota 1,896.0 $27.70 2,541.0 $19.72 819.0 $8.79 Tennessee 9,486.0 $31.16 11,446.0 $22.43 1,947.0 $9.37 Texas 51,304.0 $34.75 57,851.0 $24.88 10,157.0 $9.40 Utah 6,319.0 $30.64 6,751.0 $25.51 1,860.0 $9.86 Vermont 1,424.0 $32.76 2,502.0 $22.83 373.0 $10.90 Virginia 28,948.0 $36.59 39,369.0 $28.18 5,027.0 $10.51 Washington 16,782.0 $36.72 25,328.0 $27.31 4,431.0 $12.12 West Virginia 1,655.0 $27.49 3,174.0 $21.55 525.0 $8.56 Wisconsin 12,676.0 $32.36 19,445.0 $24.21 3,561.0 $10.28 Wyoming 1,185.0 $27.75 2,537.0 $20.80 391.0 $9.42 Source: The Conference Board 1. The six occupational categories in tables 8 and 9 are the SOC manual's Intermediate and High-Level Aggregations. 2. Wage data are from the BLS Occupational Employment Statistics program's May 2005 estimates. The OES major occupational group wage data has been weighted to form the higher level aggregates. 2007 The Conference Board. All rights reserved. 15

Table 8: State Occupational Demand and Pay, continued Sales and Office Construction and Maintenance Production and Transportation Total Ads Total Ads Total Ads Average Average Average Location Jan-07 Hr. Wage 1 Jan-07 Hr. Wage 1 Jan-07 Hr. Wage 1 United States 423250.0 $14.85 79,500.0 $18.05 105005.0 $14.12 Alabama 4,342.0 $12.89 928.0 $15.20 1,279.0 $12.66 Alaska 1,489.0 $15.75 395.0 $24.49 318.0 $20.00 Arizona 13,924.0 $14.07 2,398.0 $15.99 2,476.0 $13.72 Arkansas 2,454.0 $12.01 631.0 $14.71 1,036.0 $12.50 California 81,761.0 $16.29 11,186.0 $19.23 15,108.0 $13.90 Colorado 11,209.0 $15.90 2,576.0 $18.29 2,549.0 $14.87 Connecticut 7,444.0 $17.70 1,111.0 $21.24 1,583.0 $15.54 Delaware 1,953.0 $15.02 364.0 $18.55 376.0 $14.12 Florida 32,606.0 $13.09 5,987.0 $16.63 5,722.0 $12.66 Georgia 13,530.0 $14.21 2,501.0 $16.53 3,405.0 $13.51 Hawaii 2,036.0 $14.32 414.0 $21.70 280.0 $14.39 Idaho 2,488.0 $12.72 935.0 $15.47 744.0 $12.63 Illinois 20,623.0 $15.39 2,388.0 $22.26 4,096.0 $14.44 Indiana 5,989.0 $13.77 1,299.0 $18.67 2,100.0 $14.64 Iowa 3,796.0 $13.13 1,050.0 $16.95 1,814.0 $13.65 Kansas 4,222.0 $13.69 908.0 $16.98 1,141.0 $13.88 Kentucky 4,239.0 $13.01 984.0 $16.24 1,518.0 $13.98 Louisiana 5,107.0 $11.83 1,562.0 $15.44 1,407.0 $13.97 Maine 2,111.0 $13.35 426.0 $16.38 689.0 $13.62 Maryland 12,725.0 $15.39 2,906.0 $18.29 2,705.0 $14.41 Massachusetts 17,069.0 $17.23 1,977.0 $22.09 3,414.0 $15.54 Michigan 8,419.0 $15.01 1,285.0 $20.66 2,112.0 $16.55 Minnesota 10,927.0 $15.74 1,541.0 $20.98 3,779.0 $15.49 Mississippi 2,098.0 $11.64 703.0 $14.10 865.0 $12.26 Missouri 7,339.0 $13.36 987.0 $18.75 1,541.0 $13.79 Montana 1,554.0 $11.89 663.0 $16.22 526.0 $13.44 Nebraska 2,909.0 $13.11 561.0 $16.28 805.0 $13.96 Nevada 7,726.0 $14.16 1,539.0 $19.29 1,216.0 $13.83 New Hampshire 2,298.0 $14.86 323.0 $17.76 557.0 $14.52 New Jersey 17,905.0 $16.84 2,635.0 $22.21 3,641.0 $14.55 New Mexico 2,431.0 $12.40 589.0 $14.74 469.0 $13.29 New York 30,257.0 $16.81 3,142.0 $21.33 4,555.0 $15.21 North Carolina 9,618.0 $13.97 2,062.0 $15.95 2,408.0 $13.10 North Dakota 1,236.0 $12.27 427.0 $16.67 349.0 $13.64 Ohio 13,269.0 $14.33 1,669.0 $17.87 3,278.0 $14.57 Oklahoma 4,127.0 $12.35 1,326.0 $15.54 1,628.0 $12.99 Oregon 8,084.0 $15.03 1,925.0 $18.69 2,514.0 $14.19 Pennsylvania 17,335.0 $14.23 2,627.0 $18.06 3,901.0 $14.35 Rhode Island 2,399.0 $14.90 437.0 $19.18 576.0 $13.82 South Carolina 5,915.0 $12.91 1,715.0 $15.50 2,255.0 $13.22 South Dakota 1,505.0 $12.07 448.0 $14.52 480.0 $12.05 Tennessee 7,227.0 $13.53 1,505.0 $15.92 2,447.0 $13.46 Texas 34,570.0 $14.12 8,277.0 $15.25 9,424.0 $13.40 Utah 6,273.0 $12.77 1,844.0 $16.50 2,132.0 $13.83 Vermont 935.0 $13.89 239.0 $16.66 271.0 $13.79 Virginia 16,130.0 $15.08 3,460.0 $17.46 2,662.0 $14.05 Washington 12,608.0 $16.31 2,756.0 $20.76 3,325.0 $16.11 West Virginia 1,493.0 $11.59 386.0 $16.16 581.0 $13.11 Wisconsin 10,780.0 $14.54 2,239.0 $19.06 5,478.0 $14.58 Wyoming 834.0 $12.10 295.0 $18.05 195.0 $16.03 Source: The Conference Board 1. Wage data are from the BLS Occupational Employment Statistics program's May 2005 estimates. The OES major occupational group wage data has been weighted to form the higher level aggregates. 2007 The Conference Board. All rights reserved. 16

Table 9: MSA Occupational Demand and Pay Management and Business/Financial 1 Professional & Related Service Total Ads Total Ads Total Ads Average Average Average Location Jan-07 Hr. Wage 2 Jan-07 Hr. Wage 2 Jan-07 Hr. Wage 2 United States 632737.0 $35.54 761676.0 $25.93 134848.0 $10.65 Birmingham, AL 1,783.0 $33.77 2,397.0 $23.01 402.0 $9.50 Phoenix, AZ 12,060.0 $32.54 16,260.0 $24.37 3,028.0 $10.55 Tucson, AZ 1,681.0 $31.32 3,172.0 $24.29 755.0 $10.02 Los Angeles, CA 39,508.0 $39.44 39,324.0 $28.91 6,901.0 $11.61 Riverside, CA 5,032.0 $35.51 4,760.0 $26.75 1,361.0 $11.36 Sacramento, CA 5,293.0 $33.91 9,017.0 $27.97 1,511.0 $11.73 San Diego, CA 10,066.0 $38.23 15,544.0 $29.25 2,990.0 $11.13 San Francisco, CA 26,857.0 $42.85 30,080.0 $33.06 3,394.0 $13.47 San Jose, CA 12,726.0 $50.56 15,696.0 $37.88 1,055.0 $13.02 Denver, CO 9,327.0 $37.33 11,044.0 $28.29 2,172.0 $11.51 Hartford, CT 5,629.0 $37.63 6,187.0 $29.20 509.0 $12.47 Washington, DC 37,062.0 $40.74 44,167.0 $33.42 5,210.0 $12.09 Jacksonville, FL 3,350.0 $32.23 4,642.0 $24.33 717.0 $9.99 Miami, FL 13,601.0 $35.81 14,839.0 $25.80 4,020.0 $10.91 Orlando, FL 5,218.0 $33.56 6,245.0 $23.73 1,139.0 $10.02 Tampa, FL 7,286.0 $33.56 9,946.0 $24.49 2,146.0 $10.27 Atlanta, GA 17,550.0 $37.99 19,149.0 $26.25 2,292.0 $10.29 Honolulu, HI 1,272.0 $33.88 1,499.0 $25.70 433.0 $11.59 Chicago, IL 29,074.0 $36.32 28,026.0 $26.78 3,559.0 $11.60 Indianapolis, IN 3,987.0 $32.86 4,453.0 $23.86 594.0 $10.21 Louisville, KY 2,761.0 $32.21 3,509.0 $22.93 544.0 $9.75 New Orleans, LA 2,479.0 $31.19 3,218.0 $23.23 1,164.0 $8.94 Baltimore, MD 9,083.0 $36.32 13,602.0 $27.91 2,007.0 $11.26 Boston, MA 23,770.0 $42.22 31,939.0 $29.84 3,878.0 $12.84 Detroit, MI 6,395.0 $48.31 7,876.0 $28.67 591.0 $11.36 Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN 12,873.0 $37.51 14,058.0 $27.72 1,602.0 $11.29 Kansas City, MO 5,162.0 $34.80 7,179.0 $25.05 948.0 $10.28 St. Louis, MO 5,478.0 $33.55 7,425.0 $25.13 1,104.0 $10.53 Las Vegas, NV 5,806.0 $35.83 6,076.0 $25.73 2,306.0 $10.99 Buffalo, NY 1,910.0 $33.83 1,973.0 $23.83 526.0 $10.41 New York, NY 59,850.0 $44.60 56,188.0 $31.14 6,896.0 $13.23 Rochester, NY 1,533.0 $35.92 1,972.0 $24.47 271.0 $10.89 Charlotte, NC 5,721.0 $37.40 5,895.0 $24.50 503.0 $10.31 Cincinnati, OH 5,322.0 $34.79 6,306.0 $25.70 674.0 $10.43 Cleveland, OH 6,502.0 $34.08 7,672.0 $26.60 700.0 $10.63 Columbus, OH 5,401.0 $33.92 6,032.0 $27.32 557.0 $10.43 Oklahoma City, OK 1,841.0 $29.95 2,607.0 $22.39 750.0 $9.21 Portland, OR 6,178.0 $34.14 9,223.0 $26.33 2,229.0 $11.64 Philadelphia, PA 18,114.0 $37.18 20,607.0 $27.18 2,546.0 $11.41 Pittsburgh, PA 6,182.0 $32.23 6,391.0 $24.10 838.0 $9.88 Providence, RI 3,644.0 $35.93 5,017.0 $26.08 760.0 $11.62 Memphis, TN 2,519.0 $32.96 3,407.0 $23.30 472.0 $9.92 Nashville, TN 2,867.0 $31.92 3,732.0 $23.55 690.0 $9.84 Austin, TX 5,412.0 $33.78 9,408.0 $26.56 1,572.0 $9.92 Dallas, TX 17,446.0 $37.19 20,024.0 $27.04 2,564.0 $10.22 Houston, TX 14,853.0 $37.76 15,765.0 $27.58 2,625.0 $9.74 San Antonio, TX 3,400.0 $32.18 4,329.0 $22.92 1,002.0 $9.03 Salt Lake City, UT 3,229.0 $31.90 4,313.0 $24.51 1,110.0 $10.40 Richmond, VA 4,166.0 $33.98 5,038.0 $25.71 908.0 $10.53 Virginia Beach, VA 3,039.0 $32.42 4,384.0 $25.42 709.0 $9.79 Seattle-Tacoma, WA 11,915.0 $38.51 18,005.0 $29.60 2,553.0 $12.69 Milwaukee, WI 6,262.0 $35.45 7,828.0 $26.39 1,276.0 $10.69 Source: The Conference Board 1.The six occupational categories in tables 8 and 9 are the SOC manual's Intermediate and High-Level Aggregations. 2. Wage data are from the BLS OES program' s May 2005 estimates. The OES major occupational group wage data has been weighted to form the higher level aggregates. 2007 The Conference Board. All rights reserved. 17

Table 9: MSA Occupational Demand and Pay, continued Sales and Office Construction and Maintenance Production and Transportation Total Ads Total Ads Total Ads Average Average Average Location Jan-07 Hr. Wage 1 Jan-07 Hr. Wage 1 Jan-07 Hr. Wage 1 United States 423250.0 $14.85 79,500.0 $18.05 105005.0 $14.12 Birmingham, AL 1,815.0 $14.19 312.0 $16.42 413.0 $13.22 Phoenix, AZ 11,026.0 $15.69 1,754.0 $16.49 1,776.0 $13.98 Tucson, AZ 1,778.0 $13.28 347.0 $15.63 489.0 $13.02 Los Angeles, CA 34,857.0 $16.15 3,468.0 $19.72 5,761.0 $13.09 Riverside, CA 4,909.0 $14.62 931.0 $18.64 1,415.0 $13.13 Sacramento, CA 6,253.0 $16.34 962.0 $20.06 950.0 $14.26 San Diego, CA 9,954.0 $15.79 1,503.0 $20.23 1,567.0 $13.47 San Francisco, CA 15,511.0 $18.72 1,616.0 $24.29 1,930.0 $16.96 San Jose, CA 5,483.0 $20.18 616.0 $23.77 799.0 $16.48 Denver, CO 7,305.0 $16.96 1,391.0 $18.93 1,466.0 $15.41 Hartford, CT 3,023.0 $17.28 416.0 $21.53 586.0 $15.68 Washington, DC 17,814.0 $17.64 2,724.0 $19.57 1,695.0 $15.64 Jacksonville, FL 2,657.0 $14.34 577.0 $16.33 485.0 $13.81 Miami, FL 12,532.0 $15.05 1,629.0 $16.61 1,400.0 $13.02 Orlando, FL 4,384.0 $14.06 836.0 $15.42 792.0 $12.57 Tampa, FL 7,505.0 $14.59 1,344.0 $15.36 1,514.0 $11.99 Atlanta, GA 10,348.0 $15.56 1,496.0 $18.01 1,867.0 $14.70 Honolulu, HI 1,234.0 $14.53 286.0 $22.44 173.0 $14.64 Chicago, IL 17,845.0 $16.08 1,778.0 $23.37 3,157.0 $14.66 Indianapolis, IN 3,146.0 $15.32 526.0 $19.20 657.0 $14.66 Louisville, KY 2,094.0 $14.22 391.0 $17.16 722.0 $14.69 New Orleans, LA 2,480.0 $12.63 788.0 $15.79 640.0 $13.65 Baltimore, MD 6,641.0 $15.37 1,362.0 $18.00 1,437.0 $14.67 Boston, MA 14,045.0 $17.92 1,332.0 $22.84 2,323.0 $16.02 Detroit, MI 3,855.0 $16.21 459.0 $22.79 627.0 $18.20 Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN 8,460.0 $17.06 952.0 $22.77 2,587.0 $16.58 Kansas City, MO 3,995.0 $15.24 460.0 $19.65 663.0 $14.44 St. Louis, MO 4,292.0 $15.10 544.0 $20.91 808.0 $15.08 Las Vegas, NV 5,873.0 $14.21 1,091.0 $19.53 707.0 $13.48 Buffalo, NY 2,196.0 $14.01 293.0 $18.94 478.0 $14.91 New York, NY 31,423.0 $17.92 2,878.0 $23.14 3,965.0 $15.35 Rochester, NY 1,620.0 $14.39 202.0 $17.92 455.0 $13.88 Charlotte, NC 3,538.0 $15.72 588.0 $17.16 603.0 $14.36 Cincinnati, OH 3,551.0 $15.17 425.0 $18.68 742.0 $14.81 Cleveland, OH 3,875.0 $15.27 402.0 $19.83 939.0 $15.14 Columbus, OH 3,314.0 $14.92 363.0 $18.47 513.0 $14.05 Oklahoma City, OK 2,174.0 $12.89 691.0 $16.03 720.0 $13.64 Portland, OR 6,212.0 $16.21 1,433.0 $20.17 2,064.0 $14.89 Philadelphia, PA 10,909.0 $15.95 1,505.0 $20.36 1,953.0 $15.35 Pittsburgh, PA 4,160.0 $13.63 482.0 $18.24 772.0 $14.25 Providence, RI 2,333.0 $14.65 438.0 $19.32 673.0 $13.75 Memphis, TN 1,894.0 $14.35 293.0 $16.86 536.0 $14.11 Nashville, TN 2,657.0 $14.52 429.0 $16.44 618.0 $14.15 Austin, TX 5,190.0 $15.04 897.0 $15.82 937.0 $12.92 Dallas, TX 12,811.0 $15.77 2,029.0 $16.28 2,440.0 $13.85 Houston, TX 9,669.0 $15.19 2,422.0 $15.99 2,909.0 $14.75 San Antonio, TX 3,336.0 $13.10 672.0 $14.19 682.0 $11.62 Salt Lake City, UT 4,314.0 $14.29 1,184.0 $16.97 1,271.0 $14.30 Richmond, VA 3,178.0 $15.55 838.0 $17.52 617.0 $13.92 Virginia Beach, VA 2,362.0 $13.92 650.0 $16.65 509.0 $13.96 Seattle-Tacoma, WA 8,858.0 $17.47 1,591.0 $22.07 2,077.0 $16.94 Milwaukee, WI 4,745.0 $16.04 883.0 $20.76 2,376.0 $14.91 Source: The Conference Board 1. Wage data are from the BLS OES program' s May 2005 estimates. The OES major occupational group wage data has been weighted to form the higher level aggregates. 2007 The Conference Board. All rights reserved. 18

The Conference Board Help-Wanted OnLine Data Series Technical Notes Background The Conference Board has been following online help-wanted advertising, and Internet job boards in particular, over the last three years. The new The Conference Board Help-Wanted OnLine Data Series, which made its debut July 2005, marks the first time The Conference Board has published data covering online job advertising activity. The Conference Board is publishing this new series in an effort to provide data on online job demand that will complement its long-standing Help-Wanted Advertising Index of print advertising (http://www.conference-board.org/economics/helpwanted.cfm), as well as labor market data series from the U.S. Department of Labor s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), and data gleaned from other private organizations. This new series focuses on new, unduplicated first-time ads posted on job boards during the course of a calendar month. Similar to the Help-Wanted Advertising Index of print ads, the new data series is an indirect measure of job vacancies. The strength of the relationship between The Conference Board Help-Wanted OnLine Data Series and job vacancies, however, will not be fully understood for some time. The level of ads, both in print and online, may change for reasons that are not related to overall job demand. For example, postings on internet job boards include a significant number of duplicate ads, as the same job advertisement often appears on several boards simultaneously. While this duplication serves the primary purpose of increasing the likelihood that interested applicants will see the ad, duplicate ads do not represent separate job openings. For this reason The Conference Board Help-Wanted OnLine Data Series presents data on new, unduplicated ads. Also, internet usage varies across communities, affecting the correlation between new job openings and new job postings online across geographies. Since online job advertising continues to be a young and dynamic market, changes in its use and application may result in distortions that are not currently envisioned. Uses of the Data The estimates from this series are considered developmental and caution should be exercised in drawing conclusions from them. As the time series grows longer and its correlation to other data series becomes clearer, its value in assessing the interaction of labor supply and demand and changes in the economy will increase. The early months of this series are published for cautious use by analysts and researchers and the business community. The Conference Board welcomes input from this broad community on all aspects of this new data series. These data are not for redistribution or public posting without express permission of The Conference Board. 2006 The Conference Board. All rights reserved. 19